Privacy Policy

1. Introduction and Who We Are

inspectorwatch.com ("we," "us," or "our") operates an online directory of certified home inspectors across all 50 US states. The directory allows consumers to search for licensed and certified home inspectors by location, certification type, and specialty, and to request quotes directly from listed inspectors.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you visit inspectorwatch.com (the "Site"), use our quote request and lead generation forms, submit a review, or interact with the inspector portal. By using the Site, you agree to the practices described in this Policy.

We are an independent directory. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by InterNACHI, ASHI, NAHI, or any state licensing board.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information only when you voluntarily provide it through one of our forms, or when it is automatically generated by your use of the Site. We do not purchase consumer data from data brokers or third parties.

2a. Quote / Lead Request Form

When you submit a quote request to an inspector listed on our Site, we collect:

• Your full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Property address (street, city, state, ZIP code) of the home to be inspected
• Home size (approximate square footage)
• Home age (approximate year built)
• Any message or additional details you choose to include
• The name and identifier of the specific inspector you selected
• Date and time of submission

This information constitutes a "lead" and its primary purpose is to connect you with the inspector you selected. See Section 4 for details on how this data is shared.

2b. Review Submission Form

When you submit a review for a listed inspector, we collect:

• Your name (may be displayed publicly alongside your review)
• Email address (used only for verification and moderation; not displayed publicly)
• Your written review text
• Your star rating (1–5)
• Date and time of submission

2c. Inspector Claim Form

When a home inspector submits a claim request for their listing, we collect:

• Inspector's full name
• Business email address
• Phone number
• State license number or certification number
• Date and time of submission

This information is used solely to verify the inspector's identity and process the claim. License numbers are cross-referenced against public state licensing board records or certification body databases to confirm ownership.

2d. Inspector Portal (Login)

Listed inspectors may access a private portal to view leads sent to them. Portal access requires a unique URL slug and a numeric PIN that is issued during the claim process. We do not collect passwords or additional personal information through the portal login. Portal session data may be stored temporarily in server memory but is not persisted to long-term storage.

2e. Sample Report Uploads

Inspectors may upload sample inspection reports to display on their listing. We collect the uploaded file itself. We strongly recommend — and inspectors are responsible for ensuring — that sample reports do not contain personal information about any homeowner or third party. We store these files on our server and display them publicly on the inspector's listing page.

2f. Automatically Collected Information

When you visit the Site, our web server and hosting infrastructure may automatically log:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring URL
• Pages visited and time spent
• Date and time of access

This information is collected in standard server logs for security monitoring, abuse prevention, and aggregate analytics. We do not use tracking cookies for behavioral advertising. We do not use Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, or other third-party tracking scripts.

2g. Inspector Directory Data (Public Records)

The directory listings themselves contain information sourced from publicly available records, including the InterNACHI public inspector directory and the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) state licensing board database. This information — inspector names, business addresses, phone numbers, certifications, and license numbers — is public record. If you are an inspector and wish to correct or remove your listing, contact us at [email protected].

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

Routing Quote Requests to Inspectors

The primary use of quote form submissions is to transmit your contact and property information to the specific inspector you selected. This is the core function of the lead generation service. We do not sell leads to third parties or route your information to inspectors you did not select.

Review Moderation

Email addresses collected through review submissions are used to verify that reviews are submitted by real people and to contact you if we need to follow up during the moderation process. We do not display reviewer email addresses publicly.

Inspector Identity Verification

Information submitted through the inspector claim form is used to verify that the person claiming the listing is the actual licensed inspector named in the listing. We cross-reference license numbers against public state licensing board records.

Fraud Prevention and Site Security

We may use IP addresses, submission timestamps, and behavioral patterns to detect and prevent fraudulent form submissions, spam, and abuse of the lead generation system.

Service Communications

We may use your email address to send a confirmation of your quote request or to notify you of the status of a claim or review submission. We do not send marketing emails to consumers who submit quote requests. Inspectors who claim their listing may receive operational communications related to their portal access.

Site Improvement

Aggregated, non-identifiable usage data may be used to understand how visitors use the Site and to improve its functionality and content.

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

Sharing with the Selected Inspector

When you submit a quote request, the information you provide — your name, email, phone number, property address, home size, home age, and message — is transmitted directly to the individual inspector you selected. By submitting the quote form, you are affirmatively requesting that this specific inspector contact you, and you consent to the sharing of your information with that inspector for the purpose of fulfilling your request.

Once your information is received by the inspector, it is subject to the inspector's own privacy practices. We encourage you to ask your inspector about their data handling policies. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of individual inspectors.

Service Providers

We may engage trusted service providers (such as web hosting and email delivery services) who process data on our behalf under contractual obligations of confidentiality. These providers may have incidental access to personal information only to the extent necessary to provide their services.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law, court order, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, prevent fraud, protect the safety of any person, or respond to a government request.

Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, personal information held by us may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify users via a prominent notice on the Site before personal information becomes subject to a materially different privacy policy.

5. TCPA Consent and Telephone Communications

inspectorwatch.com itself does not initiate outbound telemarketing calls or text messages to consumers who submit quote requests. All direct telephone communications you receive in connection with your quote request will originate from the inspector you selected, not from inspectorwatch.com.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to provide our services, and to comply with applicable legal obligations.

• Quote request / lead data: Retained in our database until the associated inspector deletes it from their portal, or for up to 24 months from submission, whichever comes first, after which it is deleted.
• Review data: Review text and star ratings are retained for as long as the associated listing is active. Reviewer email addresses are retained for up to 12 months from submission for moderation purposes, then deleted.
• Claim form data: Retained for as long as the inspector's claimed listing is active, plus a reasonable period thereafter for audit and fraud prevention purposes.
• Server logs: Typically retained for 30–90 days and then purged, unless retained for a longer period in connection with a security investigation.

You may request deletion of your personal information at any time (see Section 7 and Section 8). We will fulfill deletion requests within 45 days, subject to any legal retention obligations.

7. California Residents — CCPA Rights

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), provides you with specific rights regarding your personal information.

Right to Know

You have the right to request that we disclose: (a) the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you; (b) the categories of sources from which we collected that information; (c) our business or commercial purpose for collecting it; and (d) the categories of third parties with whom we share it. To submit a verifiable consumer request, email us at [email protected] with the subject line "CCPA Right to Know Request."

Right to Delete

You have the right to request deletion of personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions (for example, information we are required to retain to complete a transaction, detect security incidents, or comply with a legal obligation). To submit a deletion request, email [email protected] with the subject line "CCPA Deletion Request."

Right to Correct

You have the right to request correction of inaccurate personal information we maintain about you. Contact us at [email protected] to submit a correction request.

Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing

Right to Non-Discrimination

We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights. We will not deny you services, charge you different prices, provide a different level of service, or suggest that you will receive a different price or quality of service because you exercised a privacy right.

Authorized Agents

California residents may designate an authorized agent to submit a CCPA request on their behalf. The authorized agent must provide written proof of authorization, and we may require the consumer to verify their own identity directly with us before honoring the request.

Response Timing

We will respond to verifiable consumer requests within 45 days of receipt. If we require additional time (up to 90 days total), we will notify you in writing of the reason and the extension period.

8. Rights for All Users

Regardless of where you reside, you may:

• Request access to personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate personal information
• Request deletion of personal information you provided through our forms
• Withdraw consent to future communications (though this does not affect information already shared with an inspector)

To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. We will respond within 45 days.

9. Children's Privacy

This Site is not directed to children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use this Site or submit any information through any of our forms. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13 without parental consent, we will delete that information from our records as quickly as reasonably practicable.

If you are a parent or guardian and believe we may have collected information from your child, please contact us at [email protected].

10. Security

We implement commercially reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. These measures include:

• HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers
• Server-side storage using SQLite on a dedicated server with access controls
• Inspector portal access protected by unique slug and PIN authentication
• No storage of payment card data (we do not process any payments)
• Routine security reviews of the application and server configuration

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights or interests, we will notify affected individuals as required by applicable law.

11. Third-Party Links and Inspector Websites

Inspector listing pages on our Site may contain links to the inspector's own business website, social media profiles, and external certification verification pages (such as the InterNACHI "Verify" tool or a state licensing board lookup). These external sites are operated by third parties and are not controlled by us.

This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected on inspectorwatch.com. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party website. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any website you visit through a link on our Site, including the website of any inspector you contact.

12. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use only strictly necessary technical cookies or session data required for the Site to function (for example, an inspector portal session token). We do not use advertising cookies, behavioral tracking pixels, or third-party analytics scripts that collect personal information.

Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies through their settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may impair certain Site functions, such as inspector portal access.

13. Additional State Privacy Rights

In addition to California, several other states have enacted consumer privacy laws that may provide residents with rights similar to those described in Section 7. These include, but may not be limited to:

• Virginia (Consumer Data Protection Act — CDPA)
• Colorado (Colorado Privacy Act — CPA)
• Connecticut (Connecticut Data Privacy Act — CTDPA)
• Texas (Texas Data Privacy and Security Act — TDPSA)
• Utah (Utah Consumer Privacy Act — UCPA)

If you are a resident of one of these states, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or obtain a portable copy of personal information we hold about you, and to opt out of certain processing activities. Because we do not sell personal information and do not engage in targeted advertising, many statutory opt-out rights may not be applicable to our current practices. To submit any privacy rights request, email us at [email protected].

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or Site features. When we make material changes, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. If changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice (for example, a banner on the Site homepage).

Your continued use of the Site after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy. If you do not agree to the updated Policy, you should discontinue use of the Site.

We encourage you to review this Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: